A HOST of leading female authors and poets is lined up for the 12th annual Bronte Festival of Women's Writing.

Events will take place over a weekend at Haworth's Bronte Parsonage – which was home to the famous literary siblings – and other venues in the village, as well as online.

The festival will open with a launch party on the evening of Friday, September 22, and a packed programme of activities will run until the Sunday.

A spokesperson says: "The annual Festival of Women's Writing is a key date in the diary at the Bronte Parsonage Museum and this year’s is a hybrid event, taking place in person and online.

"Inspired by the museum’s The Brontes and the Wild exhibition, which examines the Brontes' connection to nature and the landscape, the festival will feature a range of talks, workshops, panel discussions and participatory events.

"There will also be free family activities running throughout the weekend.

"The festival presents a creative and empowering programme that celebrates female creativity, alongside an inherent connection to the wild, and amplifies the voices of women who are driving conversations in sustainability.

"Leading female writers, poets, artists and experts are taking part in the celebration."

Amongst those participating are Bradford-based multilingual poet, spoken word artist and author Nabeela Ahmed, and bestselling author and vegan food writer Katy Beskow, who is appearing ahead of the launch of her ninth cookbook, Easy Speedy Vegan.

Libby Jackson, a leading expert in human spaceflight, will share her stories. She is the author of A Galaxy of Her Own: Amazing Stories of Women in Space, and Space Explorers: 25 Extraordinary Stories of Space Exploration and Adventure.

The author, naturalist, illustrator and sometime presenter of BBC Springwatch, Emma Mitchell, will discuss how nature and creativity can improve mental health, as spotlighted in her bestselling book The Wild Remedy.

Others to feature during the weekend will include Katharine Norbury, author of The Fish Ladder, which was shortlisted for the 2016 Wainwright Prize. More recently she was responsible for collating Women on Nature, an anthology of work by women, relating to the natural world.

And poet, and author of Teeth in the Back of My Neck, Monika Radojevic, will be present. She is a winner of the Merky Books New Writers’ Prize, founded by Stormzy and Penguin.

For more about the festival and the events taking place across the weekend, go to bronte.org.uk/whats-on.